• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.37-43
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• 2005

Our previous report demonstrated that chick myoblasts are equipped with $Ca^{2+}$-permeable stretchactivated channels and $Ca^{2+}-activated$ potassium channels ($K_{Ca}$), and that hyperpolarization-induced by $K_{Ca}$ channels provides driving force for $Ca^{2+}$ influx through the stretch-activated channels into the cells. Here, we showed that acetylcholine (ACh) also hyperpolarized the membrane of cultured chick myoblasts, suggesting that nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) may be another pathway for $Ca^{2+}$ influx. Under cell-attatched patch configuration, ACh increased the open probability of $K_{Ca}$ channels from 0.007 to 0.055 only when extracellular $Ca^{2+}$ was present. Nicotine, a nAChR agonist, increased the open probability of $K_{Ca}$ channels from 0.008 to 0.023, whereas muscarine failed to do so. Since the activity of $K_{Ca}$ channel is sensitive to intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ level, nAChR seems to be capable of inducing $Ca^{2+}$ influx. Using the $Ca^{2+}$ imaging analysis, we were able to provide direct evidence that ACh induced $Ca^{2+}$ influx from extracellular solution, which was dramatically increased by valinomycin-mediated hyperpolarization. In addition, ACh hyperpolarized the membrane potential from $-12.5{\pm}3$ to $-31.2{\pm}5$ mV by generating the outward current through $K_{Ca}$ channels. These results suggest that activation of nAChR increases $Ca^{2+}$ influx, which activates $K_{Ca}$ channels, thereby hyperpolarizing the membrane potential in chick myoblasts.

• BMB Reports
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.499-503
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• 1995

In our previous studies (Chae et al., 1990; Chae et a1., 1993), we found that a phytochrome signal was clearly connected with the change in cytosolic free $Ca^{2+}$ concentration ($[Ca^{2+}]_i$) in oat cells. It was determined that the $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ change occured both by mobilization out of the intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ store and by influx from the medium. The specific aim of this work is to elucidate the processes connecting $Ca^{2+}$ mobilization and influx. The cells treated with thapsigargin (increasing $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ by inhibition of the $Ca^{2+}$-ATPase in the calcium pool) in the presence of external $Ca^{2+}$ showed the same increasing pattern (sustained increasing shape) of $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ as that measured in animal cells. Red light irradiation after thapsigargin treatment did not increase $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ These results suggest that thapsigargin also acts specifically in the processes of mobilization and influx of $Ca^{2+}$ in oat cells. When the cells were treated with TEA ($K^+$ channel blocker), changes in $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ were drastically reduced in comparison with that measured in the absence of TEA. The results suggest that the change in $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ due to red light irradiation is somehow related with $K^+$ channel opening to change membrane potential. The membrane potential change due to $K^+$ influx might be the critical factor in opening a voltage-dependent calcium channel for $Ca^{2+}$ influx.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.214-219
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• 2009

This study examined the removal efficiency of the nitrogen and phosphorus in order to compensate for the combined process of ATAD(Autothermal Thermophilic Aaerobic Digestion) and EGSB(Expended Granular Sludge Bed), which are treatment methods for livestock wastewater, by introducing SBR(Sequencing Batch Reactor) as post-treatment process. The analysis on the treatment efficiency of each operation mode showed that, in the case of T-N, the treatment efficiency were 67.1% and 74.2% for Run-1 and Run-2, respectively, and in the case of T-P, the values were 71.2 and 74.1, respectively, which are indicating that the treatment efficacy is higher in the condition of Run-1, in which the time period of Anoxic and Aerobic segments were increased. In addition, the result of analyzing removal characteristics of nitrogen and phosphorus by Influx load showed that removal efficiency of nitrogen was better in the case of high influx load than in the case of low influx load. Regardless of Influx load, phosphorus showed constant influx concentration, so that removal efficiency of phosphorus was influenced littler by Influx load than that of nitrogen. This study also fed methanol as an external carbon source and performed experiment to induce denitrification under anoxic condition by using nitrate among nitrogen compounds of SBR reactor, and the results showed that intermittent feeding was more effective in Nitrogen Removal than composite feeding.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.238-246
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• 2012

Organic matters budget in Lake Hoengseong were monthly investigated from April 2009 to November 2009. The intense rainfall occurred at between July and August and the hydrological factors were highly varied during the rainfall season. By the concentrated rainfall, the elevation, influx and efflux were sharply increased and the turbid water was also flowed into the middle water column in Lake. The inflow of turbid water increased the nutrient concentrations in water body and this appears to stimulate of phytoplankton regard as the primary productivity of influx of organic matter. Monthly average concentration of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was generally higher than the particulate organic carbon (POC) concentration in Lake, but Temporal and spatial variation of POC concentration was higher than DOC and the maximum POC concentration was recorded in surface water in August, had the highest phytoplankton biomass. Organic carbon concentration in inflow site was rarely changed during the dry season, but the concentration was rapidly increased by the initial intense rainfall. In organic matters budget, the most of the organic matters was inflowed from the inflow site at rainfall season. Especially, the influx of allochthonous organic matters during the intense rainfall was 72.4% in the total influx organic matters.

• BMB Reports
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.202-207
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• 2000

The depletion of intracellular calcium stores by thapsigargin treatment evoked extracellular calcium-dependent membrane currents in Xenopus laevis oocytes. These currents have been compared to those evoked by microinjection of a calcium influx factor (CIF) purified from Jurkat T lymphocytes. The membrane currents elicited by thapsigargin treatment (peak current, $163{\pm}60$ nA) or CIF injection (peak current, $897{\pm}188$ nA) were both dependent on calcium entry, based on their eradication by the removal of extracellular calcium. The currents were, in both cases, attributed primarily to well-characterized $Ca^{2+}-dependent$ $Cl^-$ currents, based on their similar reversal potentials (-24 mV vs. -28 mV) and their inhibition by niflumic acid (a $Cl^-$ channel blocker). Currents induced by either thapsigargin treatment or CIF injection exhibited an identical pattern of inhibitory sensitivity to a panel of lanthanides, suggesting that thapsigargin treatment or CIF injection evoked $Cl^-$ currents by stimulating calcium influx through pharmacologically identical calcium channels. These results indicate that CIF acts on the same calcium entry pathway activated by the depletion of calcium stores and most lanthanides are novel pharmacological tools for the study of calcium entry in Xenopus oocytes.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.183-188
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• 2007

Using BHK cells with stable expression of cardiac $Na^+/Ca^{2+}$ exchanger(BHK-NCX1), reverse mode(i.e. $Ca^{2+}$ influx mode) of NCX1 current was recorded by whole-cell patch clamp. Repeated stimulation of reverse NCX1 produced a cytosolic $Ca^{2+}$-dependent long-term inactivation of the exchanger activity. The degrees of inactivation correlated with NCX1 densities of the cells and were attenuated by reduced $Ca^{2+}$ influx via the reverse exchanger. The inactivation of NCX1 was attenuated by(i) inhibition of $Ca^{2+}$ influx with reduced extracellular $Ca^{2+}$, (ii) treatment with NCX1 blocker($Na^{2+}$), and (iii) increase of cytoplasmic $Ca^{2+}$ buffer(EGTA). In BHK-NCX1 cells transiently expressing TRPV1 channels, $Ca^{2+}$ influx elicited by capsaicin produced a marked inactivation of NCX1. We suggest that cytoplasmic $Ca^{2+}$ has a dual effect on NCX1 activities, and that allosteric $Ca^{2+}$ activation of NCX1 can be opposed by the $Ca^{2+}$-dependent long-term inactivation in intact cells.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.339-343
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• 2011

This study is to examine the effect of freshwater influx on residence time to understand a long-term material transportation in enclosed bay. To predict the residence times of the coastal water in Masan bay, we were carried out the numerical simulations by using a EFDC model to simulate seawater circulation and particle tracking. The average residence times of Masan bay obtained from the particle release simulations under the condition to neglect a freshwater influx were estimated to be about 110 days in northern part of the bay to near Dotseom, 40 days in around Modo and 20 days in Budo to open sea. However, the average residence times under the condition consider with freshwater influx decreased about 81 days in both Region 1(northen Masan bay to near Dotseom) and Region II (Dotseom to Modo), but the Region III(Modo to Budo) and Region IV(Budo to open sea) incresed about 58 days and 17 days, respectively.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.225-238
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• 2008

In order to investigate the effects of intertidal sediments on the nutrient cycle in coastal environments, the benthic fluxes of ammonium, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, and silicate at two stations on the intertidal flat of Keunso Bay were determined during each season. The efflux of ammonium was observed at S1 and resulted from the diffusion of remineralized ammonium and acceleration caused by the bioirrigation of macrofauna. The influx of ammonium at S2 was probably due to nitrification in the water column. The influx of nitrate was observed at both stations during all seasons, indicating that the nitrate in the pore water was removed by denitrification. Vigorous bioirrigation led to the efflux of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) at S1, whereas the influx of DIN at S2 was predominantly caused by denitrification. Contrary to the diffusive and bio-irrigated release of remineralized phosphate from the sediment at S1, the influx of phosphate was observed at S2, which may be attributable to adsorption onto iron oxides in the aerobic sediment layer. Silicate, which is produced by the dissolution of siliceous material, was mostly released from the sediment by molecular diffusion and bioirrigation. However, the influx of silicate was observed at S2 during spring and winter, which was ascribed to adsorption by particulate matter or assimilation by benthic microphytes. The annual fluxes of DIN were 328 mmol $m^{-2}yr^{-1}$ at S1 and -435 mmol $m^{-2}yr^{-1}$ at S2. The annual fluxes of phosphate were negative at both sites (-2.8 mmol $m^{-2}yr^{-1}$ at S1 and -28.9 mmol $m^{-2}yr^{-1}$ at S2), whereas the annual fluxes of silicate were positive at both sites (843 mmol $m^{-2}yr^{-1}$ at S1 and 243 mmol $m^{-2}yr^{-1}$ at S2).

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.31-39
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• 2011

Change in intracellular $Ca^{2+}$-concentration ($[Ca^{2+}]_i$) is an essential event for egg activation and further development. $Ca^{2+}$ ion is originated from intracellular $Ca^{2+}$-store via inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate receptor and/or $Ca^{2+}$ influx via $Ca^{2+}$ channel. This study was performed to investigate whether changes in $Ca^{2+}$/calmodulin dependent protein kinase II (CaM KII) activity affect $Ca^{2+}$ influx during artificial egg activation with ethanol using $Ca^{2+}$ monitoring system and whole-cell patch clamp technique. Under $Ca^{2+}$ ion-omitted condition, $Ca^{2+}$-oscillation was stopped within 30 min post microinjection of porcine sperm factor, and ethanol-induced $Ca^{2+}$ increase was reduced. To investigate the role of CaM KII known as an integrator of $Ca^{2+}$- oscillation during mammalian egg fertilization, CaM KII activity was tested with a specific inhibitor KN-93. In the eggs treated with KN-93, ethanol failed to induce egg activation. In addition, KN-93 inhibited inward $Ca^{2+}$ current ($I_{Ca}$) in a time-dependent manner in whole-cell configuration. Immunostaining data showed that the voltage-dependent $Ca^{2+}$ channels were distributed along the plasma membrane of mouse egg and 2-cell embryo. From these results, we suggest that $Ca^{2+}$ influx during fertilization might be controlled by CaM KII activity.

• Journal of Animal Environmental Science
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.169-174
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• 2000

TAO system was applied to treatment of piiggery slurry. In the experiments, the volume of influx was differentiated in four types. The features of operation, evaporation rate, and efficiency of successive treatment were drawn. The results are; 1. During the operation, the inside temperature was maintained at over $60^{\circ}C$ with the highest $70.2^{\circ}C$. 2. The evaporation rate of influx volume was 31.4%. And the evaporation volume of per square meter was $108{\;}\ell/\textrm{m}^2$; slightly different from $120{\;}\ell/\textrm{m}^2$ of batch type. 3. The VFAs was decreased by 95% (from $1,538lmg/{\ell}$ in influx to $72.9mg/{\ell}$ in Efflux). Thus, successive operation of TAO system is considered to be possible.